Anthropology has always been about understanding people, but how often does that understanding reach the public it seeks to serve? That question sits at the heart of a growing movement to reconnect anthropology with the broader public, and the University of Georgia’s Department of Anthropology is helping lead the way. According to the Metrics Project ranking, UGA Anthropology is ranked #1 among the top 50 departments in the U.S. for the public international reach of faculty publications. The Metrics Project is a national initiative that tracks the public impact of academic work by scanning thousands of media and online sources to measure how often faculty publications are discussed outside of academia. Each department is ranked based on the percentage of its faculty whose work has been publicly mentioned at least three times. Unlike traditional academic rankings, which focus on citations in scholarly journals, the Metrics Project emphasizes how faculty research resonates beyond campus walls, specifically, how often publications are referenced by journalists, bloggers, and social media users. The goal is to spotlight how scholarship contributes to conversations in wider society, from newsrooms to social platforms. UGA Anthropology faculty contributions span a range of timely and impactful topics. Dr. Brita Lorentzen’s recent article on radiocarbon dating of the ancient Kyrenia Ship has been referenced by 48 news outlets, 5 blogs, 13 X (formerly Twitter) users, and 1 Bluesky user, highlighting how archaeological science can reshape our understanding of the ancient world. Dr. Roberta Salmi’s study of gorilla vocalizations in zoos was picked up by 46 news outlets, 6 blogs, 18 X users, 1 peer review site, and 1 Facebook page, showing wide public interest in primate behavior and welfare. This ranking reflects a strong departmental commitment to producing anthropological research relevant and accessible to the public, showing that UGA's work is not just shaping academic debates, but also informing the world beyond the university. The Metrics Project is sponsored by the Center for a Public Anthropology and aims to foster transparency and public accountability in higher education. To view the rankings and learn more, visit: https://metrics.publicanthropology.org.
